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Annabel Crème and the Demon Sealer of Blytonbury
Annabel Crème and the Demon Sealer of Blytonbury is the seventh chapter of The Rise of Luna Nova Valkyries, the first story of Little Witch Academia: Witches of Midgard. Summary Lotte and Newt discovered the alleged missing Night Fall manuscript along with dark secrets that surrounding it. Full Recap Rumors stated Annabel Crème, the author of popular historic fantasy novels Night Fall, is an alias of several writers who wrote the series over the years since 1890s and shared a common passion. From the said passion, stories about love, thrills, and adventure were born. When the original Annabel passed away, she was succeeded by her closest friend, a young witch named Aisling. A night after she completed her first Night Fall manuscript however, the second Annabel mysteriously vanished along with it, albeit not without electing a successor. Until this day, no one knows what happened to the second Annabel, only that her missing Night Fall volume was rumored to be hidden somewhere in a derelict tower-house on the outskirts of Blytonbury. Some say you need Annabel's pen to help you finding the missing manuscript. Some say the tower was haunted by restless spirits who attack anyone who dare to disturb the place. Some say— "There's an unpublished Night Fall volume in the old tower near Blytonbury?!", Lotte cried out ecstatically, unwittingly startling the shopkeeper of Last Wednesday Society and the café's patrons. "Lotte, don't make a scene! This is a serious matter", Barbara said to ease her hysterical fellow Night Fall fan. "Right. Sorry, I can't help myself." Lotte and Barbara had arranged this meeting after the latter learned rumors pertaining the missing volume of Night Fall that went viral among fans of the series in the past few days. Said manuscript was allegedly hidden in an abandoned tower-house outside Blytonbury, which also rumored to be where the second Annabel was last seen prior to her disappearance. To their pleasant surprise, the two met the current Annabel Crème herself, Annabel Crème the 12th, who also intrigued by the same rumors as much as them. While the revelation of Night Fall author has been renewed over the years became a subject of debate among fans, the focus of said rumors is the missing Night Fall manuscript itself. "As far as I can tell, the missing manuscript is likely there but, that's not it all. I figured out that tower is the same place Aisling used to live at alongside her mentor and guardian Thorsen as well", Annabel explained. "Thorsen? You mean Thorsen the Wanderer?", the shopkeeper suddenly gasped. "You know him, sir?", Lotte asked. "There's no one in this town who don't know the tale about Thorsen the Wanderer's generosity. Accompanied by his young apprentice Aisling, he traveled around the world and helping those in need despite everyone had gradually stopped believing in magic following the industrial revolution", the shopkeeper explained. "One of his greatest deeds was imprisoning a powerful demon that threatened the town within an enchanted runestone. Said demon was stated to be brought to our world though a demonic ritual that went wrong. It was that achievement which earned him the moniker "Demon Sealer of Blytonbury", I think." "And to think the second Annabel was his apprentice, I couldn't help admiring him", Annabel nodded. "After defeating the demon, Thorsen and Aisling decided to settle near the town where they spent the remainder of their lives", the shopkeeper continued. "Together, they build a tower house that not only served as their new home, but also to protect a secret that only the surrounding area knows." "A secret?", Barbara asked. "Something worth to looking for as much as that manuscript." Turning around, Lotte, Annabel, and Barbara see a familiar silver-haired witch with tattered tricorn hat standing near a cabinet full of exotic curios of the café whom Finnish recognized instantly. "Master Newt?! What are you doing here?", she gasped. "Pardon?", Annabel said. "Sightseeing. Spending my whole time in my ship with little to no things to do turned out to be boring", Newt sighed before noticing the short blonde. "And you must be Annabel Crème, I presumed?" "Yes but... who are you?", Annabel asked nervously. "Pardon my manners. My name is Newt Astriddotir. I'm the captain of Alioth", Newt holds her gloved right hand out for the young writer to shake. "It's not every day to see the famed author of Night Fall series herself in the flesh, is it? I found your latest volumes interesting, especially its space travel part." "Really? That's... good to know. Not many of my fans like that one", Annabel said, relieved to learn the other who love it beside Lotte. The Finnish's eyes beamed with excitement, "Master Newt, I didn't know you also a fan of Night Fall!!" Astonished, the Master Valkyrie stammered, "yes... Miss Yanson", before pulling herself together and continues, "But to say I am a Night Fall fan is an overstatement considering I just have checked on that series a couple of weeks ago for a bit of light reading. Nevertheless, I find that series worth to read and it hooked me ever since." Newt then turns on Annabel and said, "Miss Crème, have you considered having a beta reader? It's not that I question your talents but, from what I can tell from your latest volumes, you're still a freshwoman when it comes about writing. Which might explain why your direction leaves something to be desired. Besides, having a trustworthy beta reader can help you improve your works and even win back your former fans. How's that sounds?" "That's... a brilliant idea, Captain Newt! I'll be sure to make a note of it", the young writer's eyes brighten upon hearing Newt's advice, realizing what she may need to improve her works. "Although, right now I wanted to go for Thorsen's Tower." Barbara and the shopkeeper gasped upon hearing the young writer's statement. "You really aren't going to that tower, don't you?", the shopkeeper said in disbelief. "You can't do that! Didn't you just say that tower was haunted?", Barbara added. "I know, but I can't let anyone get their hands on my predecessor's work. Besides, I wanted to know what happened to her and Thorsen the Wanderer. Why did they just disappear like that?", Annabel argued. "Hang on a minute! I think the faery in your pen might know something about it", Lotte realized before asked the young author. "Annabel, can I borrow your fountain pen?" Giving the Finnish her pen, Annabel, alongside Newt and Barbara, watched as Lotte sings a piece of beautiful lullaby before it, calling forth its inhabiting faery with a small burst of emerald fire. It has a distinct minuscule face complete with a brown, crude pipe in its mouth and a beret-like shape on top of its head. "Is that the faery of Annabel's pen?", Barbara wondered. "So, they do exist... I didn't know I have one in my pen all this time", Annabel awed. "Faeries such as the one before you are born from objects that went past a hundred of years, a phenomenon which made possible by the presence of magic in this world", Newt explained. "As such, they possess a great knowledge over old items they inhabited including the history surrounding said items. While it's widely known that witches and wizards can invoke and communicate with faeries through spells, magical families such as your friend's, Yanson Clan, developed a special song which allow them to achieve the same feat without the need of direct magic." "It's been a while, old friend. It's me, Lotte Yanson", Lotte greets. "I'd like to know what happened to the second Annabel." The faery leans in for Lotte's ear to tell her something. "I can't hear anything", Annabel said as she and Barbara tried to make out what it said. "I see. Thank you", Lotte nodded with the faery retreated into its pen as she explained, "Not good. It doesn't know. But listen, it said something terrible happened to Thorsen that she was forced to make haste in passing this pen to someone else. It happened so fast that she lost her Night Fall manuscript in process. But the manuscript is still there, somewhere in that tower. And it also mentioned something about a broken seal, I think." A broken seal?, Newt thought to herself before suddenly said to the young writer, "The shopkeeper and Miss Parker have a point. It may be too dangerous for you to go there, Annabel. But not too worry, Miss Yanson and I will recover that manuscript for you." "Really? Thank you so much!", Annabel said excitedly. "You can't be serious! You have no idea what will happen", Barbara pleaded. "It'll be fine, Barbara. All we have to do is to get that manuscript before someone else does", Lotte reassured before turned on Newt, "Am I right, Master Newt?" "Yes. Although, there's something that I'd like to make sure in that place as well", Newt nodded. "Lotte, Captain Newt, one more thing: You're going to need my pen to find it", Annabel reminded. "Before she disappeared, Aisling told the new Annabel that the pen will guide her for her missing Night Fall manuscript. Perhaps because her said message was a bit cryptic or she was not a witch like Aisling or the first Annabel, neither of her nor her successors where able to find it. But I'm certain that you can." =ᚢᛁᛐᛍᚼᛂᛌ ᚮᚠ ᛘᛁᛑᚵᛆᚱᛑ= Thorsen's Tower is a rectangular, six-stories stone tower-house situated at the plains on the outskirts of Blytonbury and its neighboring town Glastonbury. It has simple yet imposing design, adorned with a small number of windows each with a wooden covering, a battlement on the top, and a large wooden door. It was probably much more beautiful to look at in its time but, following its inhabitants' disappearance, the structure has fallen into a state of severe disrepair. Before visiting the tower, Newt suggested Lotte to bring her familiar Will-o'-Chan along in case of things went awry. As such, the Finnish briefly returned to her dorm room to pick up her old skull lantern where the will-o'-wisp resides. Lotte studied the building from afar, but Newt took the initiative circling the structure. She disappeared as she turned the corner and reappeared on the other side a few minutes later. "No sign of break-in by the looks of it", Newt reported. "This place is completely desolate." "Master Newt, over there!", Lotte exclaimed as she pointed upwards. The Master Valkyrie followed her finger and noticed something peculiar; bright purple light shines through one of the windows for a moment before eventually dies out. There's no mistaking it. What was an unlit room a moment ago showed some signs of life. "Interesting", Newt commented. "This place has been abandoned for more than a century, yet it showed signs of being inhabited. Still… " "Should we check it out?", Lotte asked nervously. "Yes, but it's best that we try to find another way to get in. There's a chance the entrance is booby-trapped like the altar at the construction site yesterday", Newt replied. "You ready for this?" The Finnish nodded in affirmation. With that, they circle the tower to look for alternate means to enter. Examining the building's surface, the Master Valkyrie found a brick on the west wall which stands out from the rest due to the presence of a symbol engraved on it. Pressing the brick, she takes a few steps away as the wall before them parts into a narrow passageway in a neon green glow. "A secret passage? Awesome!", Lotte awed. "Tower-houses belonged to witches and wizards such as this one usually has at least one secret entrance that doubles as emergency exit", Newt explained. "Let's go." Looking closely at the brick Newt pressed earlier, Lotte feels a sense of déjà vu upon recognizing its symbol as Celtic Five-Fold. However, she cannot dwell in it for long, as she had to catch up with the Master Valkyrie who already ventured inside the passageway. =ᚢᛁᛐᛍᚼᛂᛌ ᚮᚠ ᛘᛁᛑᚵᛆᚱᛑ= Upon reaching the end of the secret passage, Newt pushed the wooden door open, revealing a spacious hall intended for the guests. The hall is lid by a chandelier and torches with blue magical flames; and has a long table with ten chairs that sit on the center of the room. A large golden banner can be seen hanging over the brick fireplace on the north wall. On the south of the hall is the tower's entrance, which is flanked by two staircases; the left one leads to the basement area whereas another to the upper floors. Stepping out of the narrow passage, Lotte and Newt turn around to see numerous bricks magically assemble themselves into a wall that conceals the door from where they came. The sealed entrance is the least of their concern however, as they have a missing manuscript to find. "Seems that we need to locate another marked brick", the Master Valkyrie remarked. Producing Annabel's fountain pen from her pocket, Lotte sees it emanating a faint green aura much to her surprise. "The pen. It's glowing!" "That must be how it will guide us for Aisling's Night Fall manuscript", Newt said. "Indeed. The faerie in the pen told me the same thing at the café earlier", Lotte nodded. "We should follow the glow. The brighter the glow the closer we are to that manuscript." With the glow of Annabel's fountain pen as their guide, the Finnish and the Master Valkyrie begin their search starting from the tower's hall. The hall is surprisingly well-kept despite the building's outward condition, as there's no hint of dust, dirt, or even cobwebs anywhere. Furnitures in the room and the chandelier are still exquisite to look at, even though they already showing signs of timeworn. The only thing that stands out from the rest however, is the golden banner. It resembles the one at Newt's office in Alioth and even bears the identical valknut symbol. Yet this one's valknut is a bit larger and lacked runes that surrounding it. The banner seems to hold a quite significance to the older witch as she looked upon it with an absolute awe. "So, it's true... He was one of our best scholars." "Pardon?", Lotte asked. "See that banner? Every best scholar from Thapoli would carry one of those as the proof of their allegiance to their homeland", Newt pointed on the golden banner. "Many of them were sent to study abroad and learning intriguing cultures from various countries all around Midgard, mostly to find the best way to preserve magic. It was thanks to them Thapoli became one of the most advanced and influential community in magical world." "How can you be sure about it?", Lotte wondered. "As the matter of fact, Thapoli is mine and Thorsen's homeland. His banner is a bit different than the one in my office because it is an older version", the Master Valkyrie explained. "When I stumbled upon the mention of Thorsen the Wanderer while looking for information about the missing Night Fall manuscript, I thought it was a mere coincidence because Thapoli has some records pertaining a scholar of theirs who shared the same moniker. Said scholar chose to become a world traveler after completing his education before eventually settled at Blytonbury. Furthermore, during his travels, he met a young girl who later became his foster daughter and protégé." "And that girl is...?" "Aisling, the second Annabel Crème. With this, one mystery about him is solved." Unknown to the Master Valkyrie and the Finnish, a small shadow is observing them from the dark corners of the hall, all while hiding in a plain sight. If someone is there to see it, it'll be described as a faint outline of either light purple or lilac vaguely resembling a bird. It emanates a mixed feeling of suspicion, loneliness, and curiosity, the latter which because of one of the uninvited guests happened to carry a familiar fountain pen which glowing on her hands. Sensing that they are different to those who had previously intruded its home, the shadow opted to continue its observation rather than scaring them off like it did to others, so it can devise a proper meeting or rather, confrontation because it is unsure with their intentions. =ᚢᛁᛐᛍᚼᛂᛌ ᚮᚠ ᛘᛁᛑᚵᛆᚱᛑ= As they walked upstairs for the upper floors, Newt decided to start a conversation. "Miss Yanson, you and Annabel seemed to have known each other for quite some time. How is she like?" "She's cute, talented, and insecure", Lotte explained. "Like me, she grew up reading Night Fall and became attached to it, leading to her becoming the 12th Annabel Crème. However, she lacked confidence in her abilities and sensitive to others' opinions. In fact, she once gave up writing until I convinced her that she must believe in her talent no matter what other people say. It's true not all of her fans like her stories but, for me, Night Fall is only been getting more interesting thanks to her." "You have a point there. No matter what people says, her direction stays true to the series' main premise: Time-travel adventure", Newt agreed. "I found her haters' judgement preposterous enough to give away the fact that some of them know nothing about that series to begin with. Those people were likely reading it just for the love triangle between Edgar, Arthur, and Belle like the ones you found in some cheesy romance sagas only to be disappointed that Night Fall is not like what they imagined. Love triangle plot is intriguing but, it doesn't necessarily the central theme of a story. Besides, using the same plot again and again won't do any good in long-running series such as Night Fall." Upon reaching the second floor, Newt and Lotte enter Thorsen and Aisling's shared library. It is a wide room, almost around a third of the width of the tower's hall. It has two large bookshelves placed on each sides of the room, along with three smaller ones that surrounding a medium-width round table at the center complete with four small chairs. The room also has two windows which lead to the outside. As with in the tower's hall, the room is illuminated by several torches with blue flames. Annabel's fountain pen glows brighter than it did at the hall. Sensing that the manuscript is nearby, Lotte exclaimed, "It's getting brighter. We're getting— " Suddenly, the door slams shut behind the two without a warning, followed by loud, howling winds coming from the windows that putting out all the torches in the room. Lotte and Newt planted their feet firmly to the ground to prevent themselves from getting knocked by the wind. Strangely, the gust converges around them into a barrier with no opening for them to escape. As this happens, they hear a loud, deep whisper booming out of nowhere that said, "Who dares enter my home???" "It's me... Lotte Yanson! And this is my mentor Master Newt!", Lotte replied quietly. "I don't know you!", the voice said. "Why do you have my Mistress' pen?" "Your mistress' pen?", Lotte repeated. "Yes, MY Mistress' fountain pen! The same glowing pen on your hands!", the voice demanded. "She passed that pen to a new Annabel long ago. How come you gained the possession of it?" It knows Annabel's fountain pen? What does it mean it belonged to its mistress?, Newt thought as she tried to make sense of their situation. Could it be? A realization hits the Master Valkyrie, who then stepped in and said suddenly, "Are you Aisling's familiar faery? There's no need to put up this charade. We know who you are." "You do?", Lotte asked to the Master Valkyrie, confused. There's no immediate reply from the mysterious voice, only that the elemental barrier around the Finnish and Master Valkyrie slowly coalesced into a sphere of wind before their eyes. A small knife can be seen materializing within the sphere as this happens, along with a wisp of purple. A wind faery. This faery stands out from the others Lotte encountered so far. It bears a striking resemblance to her familiar faery Will-o'-chan a bit, yet it glows in lilac and has somewhat elongated arms. The faery also sports feather-like appendages which give it bird-like appearance, notably on its face and arms. Not just its appearance, the faery has demonstrated astonishing feats which include the ability to fluently speak English and conjuring strong winds on a caliber equal to most skillful of witches, suggesting greater intelligence and power than more simple-minded faeries. The knife in its possession on the other hand, is relatively small, only two inches in length (excluding the handle). Its metallic handle is designed after a Celtic knot, and a five-fold symbol resembling the one on the marked brick earlier is carved on both sides of the blade. Although perfectly made and painfully sharp, its small size made it best suit for performing rituals and spells. The knife also emanates a strong magic which flows into the wind faery's very being, indicating that it is not only the item from which it was born, but also empowering it. Without a word, Lotte presented the wind faerie Annabel's fountain pen, at which the faery inside it popped out and greet another before them. The two then engage in a conversation with their natural tongue which comprehensible yet barely audible to both witches. Said conversation started off uneasy at the beginning, but after a while, the wary expression on the latter's face turns into that of curiosity and wonder. Its eyes flickered back and forth between the faery within its mistress' fountain pen and that of Lotte and Newt, as though trying to catch one of them lying. "How did you know that faery is Aisling's familiar?", Lotte hissed. "I figured it out when investigating Aisling's background", Newt explained. "The information about her before she joined Thorsen the Wanderer in his travels are scarce, only that she is a Celt and gifted spirit whisperer. Her most prized possession is Zephyr Athame, an ancient ceremonial knife crafted by her ancestors long ago and designed to increase the strength of her wind spells. Its magic was so great that the faery which born from it became imbued with a fraction of its power. Aisling was surprised upon discovering this, but nevertheless grew to like it and made the faery her familiar. She named the faery Gaoth, the Old Irish for Wind." "Gaoth? That's a cool name", Lotte commented. "Indeed", Newt nodded. "As the matter of fact, the wind faery before us is the same faery who empowered by that Athame as soon as it was born. Oh, and Gaoth is 'she'." The two faeries conclude their conversation with former retreated into its pen. The wind faery, Gaoth, on the other hand, smiled upon the intruders, apparently understood Lotte and Newt's motives. "Real guests at last! Sorry about that earlier. Just wanted to keep out the riff-raff, you know?", she apologized with high-pitched, feminine voice which much more innocent than her deeper, threatening one. "It's okay. I understand", Lotte reassured. The wind faery nods and flies for one of the bookshelves. She pulled out a stack of yellowed parchment paper bound by twine which she then hands to Lotte. "I have kept this manuscript since Mistress Aisling's disappearance. I hope it can be useful for the new Annabel", she said. The papers' presence causes Annabel's fountain pen to glow in much greater intensity, prompting the Finnish to split open the book and study its contents. Recognizing the plot and characters within the manuscript after flipping through its first few pages, Lotte smiled and said, "Master Newt, this is it! This is Aisling's Night Fall manuscript!" "Really? Can I see it?", Newt asked. As Newt examines the book, Gaoth's expression darkened as she gestures both guests to follow her without a word. The faery leads her guests to a medium-sized room just beside the library. The room has a wooden pedestal that holds what appeared to be a book with leather covering. In addition of the pedestal, the room has a small bookshelf, a dresser, a wooden chair, an antique dressing table complete with a mirror, and a beautifully made wooden bedstead, hinting it to be to be a girl's room. Because of the lack of lighting in the room, Lotte called forth Will-o'-Chan from her lantern to help illuminate their surroundings, much to Gaoth's pleasant surprise as she had never seen other spirit whisperer beside her mistress. "Why are you bringing us here?", Newt wondered. "There's a reason why I drove everyone away from this place. The same reason why my Mistress and her mentor Thorsen disappeared", Gaoth said grimly before pointing at the book on the pedestal. "I'd like to tell you about it myself but, it's all already written in that book." Studying the book, Lotte and Newt discovered that it is a journal belonged to Aisling herself. Through its first few entries, they learned more about Aisling's background including how she met Thorsen the Wanderer; Thorsen found her as an orphan in a small village at Ireland. As a little girl, she was poorly treated for her gift of magic and ability to see things that invisible to non-magical humans. The only friend she made at that time was Gaoth, but even only her who can see the wind faery. Upon meeting the Wanderer, she was delighted that there were others who shared similar gift to that of hers, and wholeheartedly accepted his proposal to be his apprentice. With Thorsen's help, Aisling was not only able to hone her skills as a witch, but also learning her heritage as the member of Danu Clan, a clan of magical family descended from Tuatha Dé Danann, a race of the Old Gods of pre-Christian Gaelic Ireland which also known as the Children of the Danu. It was around that time the two crossed paths with the original Annabel Crème, whom immediately became one of Aisling's best friends as the latter joined them in their journey for Blytonbury. Lotte and Newt stopped reading the journal to discuss their findings. "A descendant of Tuatha Dé Danann? Interesting", Newt commented. "It's same as me then? I mean, my mother is related to them", Lotte said. "Although not as famous as magical families descended from Nine Olde Witches, Danu Clan are well-known for their intriguing background", Newt said. "It is said that they are descended from remnants of Tuatha Dé Danann who intermingled with humanity after surviving recurring rivalries against other inhabitants of Ireland: Fir Bolg, Fomorians, and Milesians. Danu Clan are also famed for four great treasures their divine ancestors brought to Ireland; The Stone of Fal, which would shout in joy upon being stepped on by a righteous ruler; Red Javelin of Lugh, a javelin that would find its mark no matter how the target is hidden once thrown; The Cauldron of the Dagda, which could feed all the Tuatha Dé Danann and still never empty; and lastly, the Shining Sword of Nuada, Tuatha Dé Danann's greatest sword wielded by Nuada the Silver hand himself. The last one shared its true name with the Shiny Rod, Claiomh Solais, possibly because they share the same powers." Gaoth smiled at the memory of her mistress learning her heritage, yet it pained the faery as the two witches continue reading next entries of Aisling's journal. Said entries give a detailed account of Thorsen and Aisling's arrival at Blytonbury, their famed battle against the demon, and the truth behind their disappearance, the latter which is more than what they are signed for. "So, these ones are about Brandon and Aisling's fight against the demon that threatened Blytonbury", Lotte said before suddenly exclaimed. "No way. How could this be?!" "Yeah. It wasn't an ordinary demon, but a spawn of Crom Cruach", Newt nodded. "Demon beasts born from the evil of the fertility god upon its defeat at hands of Saint Patrick. And..." "To think it managed to corrupt Thorsen and forced him to release it from its runestone prison...", Lotte continued as a cold sweat forming on her brow. "It looks like he had either underestimated the extent of its powers or worse, lacked a sufficient knowledge to combat it", Newt pondered. "A notorious aspect of Spawns of Crom Cruach is their ability to turn their victims into unwilling slaves with their venomous talons. The venom itself comprised of tainted magic which can only be purged with advanced purification spells and has a delayed effect, ranging from few hours to a couple of years. What happened to Thorsen seemed to be the latter case." "But he did fight the demon's hold over him, right?", Lotte asked. "That's right. Upon discovering this, he made attempts in suppressing its effect to buy both him and Aisling more time in finding the way to cure himself", Newt nodded. "But even with their best efforts, he didn't last long..." " ...and eventually lost with the demon eventually escaped and possessed him, forcing Aisling to seal both of them in the basement all while knowing that she would die in the process", Lotte continued before throwing herself onto the bed with a plop. "Hm? What's wrong?", Newt asked, noticing the sudden change in Lotte's mood. "It's just... this isn't right. It can't be!", Lotte said indignantly. "Why the life of Thorsen the Wanderer had to be ended that way?! Why it happened right when Aisling just have become a new Annabel?" "That can't be helped. She did what she had to do. But still...", Newt paused before looking back at Aisling's Night Fall manuscript on her hands to continue studying it. "It's sad to learn that Aisling only able to briefly enjoy her time as a writer. I must admit, she's pretty good in it as much as with magic. Not to mention that she has a great mentor to boot", all she could say before stumbling upon blank pages: To her dismay, its last few pages turned out to be empty. "Mistress didn't manage to complete it when that accursed beast escaped. I managed to recover it and keep it hidden until you guys came", Gaoth explained. "It may not that much, but I'm certain you guys can figure it out." "What about the demon?", Lotte asked. "What do you mean?", Newt replied. "Even if she managed to reseal it, that won't be a permanent solution", Lotte insisted. "Spawns of Crom Cruach can corrode their prison from inside out no matter how delicate it is. Banishing those foul creatures won't do any good because they are always able to find their way back to our world. The only solution in stopping Spawns of Crom Cruach is destroying them." "I understand your concern, Miss Yanson. It was a good thing we didn't bring Annabel along in recovering this manuscript", Newt reassured as she put the manuscript into her coat before continues, " ...nor Miss Parker. What happens next would be too much for those two." She then turned on Gaoth and said. "I supposed this is the true reason why you tried to keep anyone out of this place. To prevent them from disturbing the seal. Although, I can tell that you already tired from such miserable endeavor." Reflecting on everything she went through since her mistress and Thorsen' disappearance, Gaoth realized Newt has some valid points: Deep inside, the wind faery has longed to see the outside world once again, but is unable to leave her home unguarded out of fear that someone might disturb the seal her mistress put over the demon or worse, it manages to escape its prison while she is gone. Not only that, decades of isolation have taken its toll on her more than she realized, and the revelation of the demon's true nature from two witches she barely knows doesn't help either. However, a glimmer of hope emerged upon realizing something she overlooked in Lotte. Suddenly, Gaoth flies in for Lotte's left sleeve and lifts it slightly with her feathered hands, much to the Finnish and Master Valkyrie's surprise. The wind faery gasped upon the sight of Lotte's gleaming Geirdriful Bracelet, before looking up on the Finnish with joy and relief on her miniscule eyes. Apparently recognizing the bracelet, Gaoth becomes certain that these witches are her only chance to be free from this burden once and for all. Although part of her is afraid that she would likely ended up sending both witches to their deaths, the wind faery nevertheless placed her faith in them. With that, she gestured them to follow her downstairs right for tower's basement. =ᚢᛁᛐᛍᚼᛂᛌ ᚮᚠ ᛘᛁᛑᚵᛆᚱᛑ= Soon after, Lotte, Newt, Will-o'-chan, and Gaoth are standing before a wooden door at the end of the staircase which leads to the basement area of the house-tower. Focusing on what lies on the other side of the door with her magic, Lotte is startled by the abundance of demonic energy, swirling within the basement like a storm. Concentrating further, the Finnish finds what seemed to be the eye of the magical storm, a dark presence with serpentine shape. Turning on her companions, the Finnish confirmed, "It's here. I sensed it." "Yes. And I also sensed something else as well; the magic of Aisling's seal", Newt nodded. "Do you think that demon can escape anytime as of now?", Lotte wondered. "Unless if the seal still retains enough power to contain it, yes", the Master Valkyrie magically combined her wand and Valkyrie blade before shifting their combined form into a black and white sword-spear configuration. "There's only one way to find out." Cautiously opening the door, Gaoth leads Lotte, Will-o'-chan, and Newt as they stepped into the darkened basement of Thorsen's Tower. It is a spacious cellar where Thorsen and Aisling stored their food supply including barrels of wine, cheese, dried meat, etc., though most of them already wasted by decades of negligence. Some even have been chewed to bits by the rats. What caught their attention however, is the presence of two skeletal, robed figures standing on a magic sigil at the center of the basement. Both figures appeared to be in suspended animation while locked in a tight embrace, with the shortest out of two stabbed another with what can be described as a long blade made of solid emerald light. The magic sigil beneath both figures on the other hand, which Lotte and Newt deduced as the new seal mentioned in Aisling's journal, is a large Celtic Five-Fold comprised of runes that glow in matching color. A small rock with similar glow can be seen at the center of each circles that forming the sigil. Upon a closer inspection, Newt immediately recognizes the unmistakable ornate brown, gold, and cyan robe worn by the taller skeletal figure. The Master Valkyrie can't help but both saddened and disturbed by the fact that the said figure is indeed Thorsen the Wanderer himself or rather, what has left of the former Thapolian scholar. As if that was depressing enough, she can also tell that the shorter figure in a plain black robe along with matching witch hat and pointy shoes is none other than Aisling herself. Moreover, a faint demonic presence can be felt from within Thorsen's corpse, which means that Aisling had indeed managed to reseal the Spawn of Crom Cruach who possessed her late mentor at the cost of her own life as she wrote in the final entry of her journal, with both her blood and fragments of the demon's runestone prison being used to form the seal. Gaoth dropped onto her tiny knees upon the sight of what has befallen both her late mistress and her mentor. Though she had already seen that coming, the wind faery's heart is still ached. Part of her blamed herself for not helping her late mistress enough and allowed this to happen. Lotte also similarly devastated, unable to accept the tragic fate of her friend and idol's predecessor. Will-o'-chan on the other hand, tried his best to comfort her mistress as she is about to tear up. A silence hits the basement. Even the rats seemed quiet. "... you know, I used to aspire to become a world traveler like Thorsen", Newt said quietly. "To see the world outside Thapoli, meeting people, visiting new places... Read their stories so much, I can recite them from memory." She then lifted her left sleeve to look upon her Valkyrie Bracelet. The Bracelet is white in color, with thicker gray edge and a black pentagon with white outline. "For a time, I believed that dream won't come true when my late mother passed the Shadow Cutting Valkyrie mantle to me along with the responsibility as a protector. But then, my luck changed when she recommended me to join Warband, at which I realized what my true calling was." "Your true calling?", Lotte asked. "Yes", Newt smiled wistfully as she recalled on the day she stepped into the Alioth for the first time. "Even though I didn't become a world traveler in the end, I still able to see the world outside my homeland like what I always wanted. Traveling the world is much more fun that managing a squadron of Warband warriors and training new generation of Valkyries but, someone had to protect the beauty of outside world Thorsen and his fellow scholars showed to us along with everyone in it. That's why I decided to join Warband and accept my newfound responsibility as the White Valkyrie." "Seemed like everyone has a reason to fight... ", Lotte said despondently. "Everyone except me..." "Is there's something wrong, Miss Yanson?", Newt asked. "It's just... Sometimes I think... I'm just being a burden to my friends. Everyone else is so unique and talented... Akko never gives up, Diana is great at magic, Sucy has her potions, Amanda is braver than anyone I know, Constanze is so good with technology, Jasminka... well, she can eat and fight at the same time. Not to mention she has a hunger faery on her side. They all have their reasons to fight. While me... I'm just a nerd who reads fiction novels. I don't even know what I am fighting for." "Nonsense! You're as capable as everyone else", Newt protested. "You are an exemplary when it comes about talking with faeries and synchronizing your magic with theirs. You are a good singer and has a good voice to the boot. The blood of Tuatha Dé Danann is flowing in your veins. Your Armor has chosen you for a reason. I'm certain you'll find your reason to fight as long as you stay true to yourself." Suddenly, Thorsen's skeletal body begins to stir, alarming everyone in the cellar. This soon followed by the magic seal beneath both it and Aisling's corpse which flickered a couple of times before eventually died out, at which it sprung to life and causing the latter to collapse under its own weight. Tossing Aisling's light blade on his body aside, Thorsen, or rather the Spawn of Crom Cruach who possessing his corpse, staring menacingly at Lotte and her companions with its eyeless sockets that glow in dark red before charges. "No, you don't!", Newt swipes her sword-spear upwards, sending a crescent-shaped emerald blast that sending their would-be attacker crashing against a shelf full of cheese, knocking it onto the others and spilling their contents in process. Not long after the dust settled to reveal it lying among the rubble and wasted food supply, Thorsen's skeletal form rises for one final time and proceeded to spewing forth a large amount of thick mist from its eye sockets and mouth before collapsing, dead once again. Throughout the process, the mist coalesced into a spherical shape before forming into a snake-like beast towering over everyone in the cellar. The Spawn of Crom Cruach. It is a grotesque, skeletal beast with a single red eye attached on a dome-shaped skull connected to a snake-like body ending in a thin but robust tail by a crooked neck. Either side its torso sports a short arm ending in talons attached on bony fingers. Each of its talons is drenched with a sickening black goo. Instead of skin and flesh, the demon's skeletal form is put together by ink-like gray mass acting as sort of muscle and tendon. Raising its clawed hands, the Spawn of Crom Cruach distorts the space around everyone, bringing them to another dimension. Soon after, Lotte, Newt, Will-o'-chan, and Gaoth found themselves within a black void as the demon materializes before the four and attacks. Like a rocket, the demon lunges towards Lotte in high speed with talons thrusted forward, prompting the Finnish to magically combined her wand and Valkyrie Blade into a round shield to block the oncoming attacks. Despite her best efforts, the Spawn of Crom Cruach's furious claw attacks proved too much for the ginger-haired witch's defense, as it eventually knocked the shield off her hands before proceeded to skewer its talons through her right shoulder, causing the Finnish to scream in pain. Not even her Barrier Pauldron's shielding can protect her from such powerful blow, for the demon's talons easily pierce through it like a hot knife against butter. As if that was bad enough, the Finnish can feel its venom flowing into her system. Infuriated, Gaoth unleashed torrents of air blasts against the Spawn of Crom Cruach, forcing it to release its hold over the helpless Finnish. Will-o'-chan soon join the fight by releasing streams of flames. As both faeries overwhelming the demon with their elemental assaults, Newt quickly rushed for the ginger-haired witch's side. To her horror, Lotte, now under the influence of Spawn of Crom Cruach's venom which blackened her veins and turning her skin deathly pale, glared furiously at the older witch before holding her in a chokehold. However, the Master Valkyrie proved too much for the corrupted Finnish as after a brief struggle, Newt singlehandedly overpowers the younger witch before pinning her against the floor and pressed one of her hands against her back in the matter of seconds. Trying as she might, the corrupted Lotte cannot rid of the older witch. Pressing the pommel of her sword-spear against the top of Lotte's head, Newt channels a surge of white energy into the Finnish's body, expelling Spawn of Crom Cruach's venom from her system. The process eases Lotte who gradually regains her sense of self as the malevolent substance pours out of her mouth before dissipating into nothingness. With the venom gone, colors begin to return to her. "Thank you, Master Newt", Lotte said weakly. "Anytime", Newt replied before turning back on the Spawn of Crom Cruach just as it deflected Gaoth and Will-o'-chan's elemental blasts back to their senders before making another attempt on Lotte's life. Acting fast, Newt chops off the demon's arms with her sword-spear before sending it flying with a blast of white light that burns it upon contact, disorienting it long enough for her to conjure a field of similarly colored energy around her and Lotte. To the Finnish's surprise, the energy field burns the Spawn of Crom Cruach when it attempted to enter, yet Gaoth and Will-o'-chan suffer no ill-effects when doing the same, as if the field is able to differentiate between friend and foe. Not only that, the field of white energy induces a soothing effect on everyone within and before long, her wounds gradually closing themselves. "Awesome... what did you do?", Lotte wondered. "Holy Magic. Sacred arts developed for combat demons and similar unclean forces", Newt explained before cursed under her breath, "I cannot believe this slipped in my mind: There's nothing more than the scent of a Celt's blood that can infuriate a Spawn of Crom Cruach." Lotte, Gaoth, and Will-o'-chan exchange a glance. "What are you talking about?", the Finnish asked. "There's a version of the tale of Crom Cruach and Saint Patrick which is a little different than the original. It claimed that he vanquished the fertility god in response of the distress of its former worshippers", Newt explained as they watch the demon circling the field for any weak points. "This particular band of Celts realized the worship of Crom Cruach was only bring more harm than good after witnessing the death of High King Tigernmas along with three quarters of his army while worshipping it on a Samhain eve. Their cries for help reached Saint Patrick, who in turn saved their people from more harm by vanquishing the fertility god. Outraged, Crom Cruach gave birth to demon beasts that carry its hatred upon its defeat at hands of the Saint where their sole purpose is to kill every single Celt with extreme prejudice, regardless whether they are descendants of its former worshippers." The Master Valkyrie then turned on Lotte and somberly added, "Which explained why it's after you. I always thought someone made up that story to further demonize the image of Crom Cruach, but after reflecting on misfortunes that befallen my fellow Valkyries at its progenies' hands for being a Celt, perhaps that person was right all along. Although, it's unlikely they will stop killing even after wiping out every Celts from the face of Midgard." Suddenly, Newt stepped out of the field to face the Spawn of Crom Cruach, but not before instructed Gaoth and Will-o'chan, "Gaoth, Will-o'chan, I need you two to stay here and guard Miss Yanson until she is strong enough to join the fight.", all she said before turning back on the Spawn of Crom Cruach who hovers before the Master Valkyrie, waiting as she readies her Valkyrie Gauntlet. "Venta Herkleda!" Abrasively running the side of her sword-spear's blade against the Gauntlet, Newt ignites the weapon with emerald sparks before drawing a large halo above her head with it. As soon as she does, the halo turns into a magic circle from which multiple tendrils of white light wrap themselves around her body with rapid, audible clanks. As this happens, bright green fire engulfs her form before recedes to reveal a complete set of white and silver Valkyrie Armor. Aesthetically, the armor vaguely bears aspects of late medieval to early Renaissance-era designs of European plate armor with Thapolian touch, comprising of white metal plating around matching pointy boots and light gray tunic. Atop of Newt's helmet sits a gray witch hat adorned with a symbol in form of black pentagon with white outline along with a pair of metal wing-like ornaments. Identical pairs of same ornament also attached on each of her ankle. Compared to ones on four Elemental Valkyrie Armors and Geirdriful Armor, wing-like ornaments on this set are somewhat simplistic and generic in design. Adorning her back is a pair of trailing blue ribbons that reaching past her thighs. The tip of her pointy boots is black in color. A pair of trailing blue ribbons can be seen adorning her back. "Sigrun the Shadow Cutter Valkyrie, shall go forth!", Newt declares as she throws out her left arm, summoning multiple floating swords of white light around her and charges. Lotte's eyes are beaming upon the spectacle, but neither her nor her two faerie companions able to enjoy it for long, as the fight against the demon who have slain both Thorsen and Aisling have just begun. =ᚢᛁᛐᛍᚼᛂᛌ ᚮᚠ ᛘᛁᛑᚵᛆᚱᛑ= Raising its stumps, the Spawn of Crom Cruach summons a horde of creatures that emerged from their respective dark red portals. Each of them has deformed, humanoid body comprised of molten bronze. At first glance, the bronze golems appeared to be clumsy due to their misshapen limbs. Some of them even only able to crawl due to either one of their legs end with a stump or have no legs at all. However, as soon as they charge upon the transformed Newt, Lotte can only stare in disbelief. They move incredibly fast as if time is warped around them. Each of them must have received haste spell upon emerging from their respective portal. Yet it takes more than that to take out a veteran Valkyrie who have vanquished many of the demon's kin. In a flash of emerald light, a pair of bird-like mechanical wings materializes on the White Valkyrie's back. Flapping them both, she takes off to the air leaving the charging bronze golems piling themselves onto one another in a failed attempt to overwhelm her. Igniting her sword-spear with intense white fire, Newt swoops down upon the now vulnerable fiendish summons and cleaves through the pile of enemies with double spinning slashes of her fiery weapon. Two more golems charge in from behind, only for her dismembered them with floating light blades. The White Valkyrie doesn't even bother to look upon the downed bronze golems as they melt into a goop of molten metal. Frustrated, the Spawn of Crom Cruach snarled at its remaining bronze golems as if it instructed them to do something. At once, the golems piled on top of one another, their bodies fuse into a grotesque-looking, pillar-like structure that barely holding itself together. Growing several clawed arms on random parts of its form, the molten bronze pillar hurls torrents of molten metal balls upon the White Valkyrie. Instead of evading them, Newt arranged her floating light swords into shield-like formation, blocking the projectiles before slowly advancing upon the gestalt summon. As she does, Newt enlarges the blade of her still-ignited fiery sword-spear to the size of a car bumper before somersaults into the air slightly higher than the living bronze pillar and vertically slams the weapon down, cutting the gestalt construct into half. As much as she is awed by the White Valkyrie's performance throughout the fight, Lotte can't help but envious to see how good Newt is holding her own against the formidable Spawn of Crom Cruach. She wished to join the older witch once her wounds completely healed, but part of her feels that she would only get into the White Valkyrie's way. Just then, Will-o'chan returned her fallen round shield, which splits back into her wand and Valkyrie Blade on her hands. To her dismay, whereas the former only received minor scratches, the latter is brittle and on the brink of falling apart — it is unlikely that she can use the Blade with such condition, let alone attempting to fix it with basic Mending Magic spells she knows without the risk of its power rebounding to her. Meanwhile, the Spawn of Crom Cruach regrows its missing arms to personally combat the White Valkyrie. Trading blows against one another, the demon attempted to knock Newt's sword-spear off her hands, but it cannot touch her weapon without getting burned by white aura that enveloping it. Not only that, her floating swords are constantly keeping its venomous talons from reaching her flesh. With their fight is getting nowhere and realizing the nature of magic she used against it, the demon decided to change tactics; distancing itself from the White Valkyrie, it raises its arms once again, drawing piles of molten metal that used to be its summoned golems upon itself. The piles then surge upon it, encasing the demon and harden into an armor comprised of layers of thick bronze wires with spiked tips drape down from its back like a cloak. Newt takes a step back, sweat rolling down the back of her neck. The Spawn of Crom Cruach just have created a formidable defense to minimize the damage from her Holy Magic assaults. In addition of dark powers inherited from their alleged progenitor, these foul beasts are unmistakably intelligent, able to adapt and learn from experience. This allowed them to turn the tide of their fight against their enemies, and possibly how they figured out the way to free themselves from any forms of magical imprisonment. Even veteran Valkyries such as herself have a good reason to be wary of their capabilities as a single Spawn of Crom Cruach is already troublesome enough. Up until this point, she doesn't know the extent of how deadly Spawns of Crom Cruach can be despite her experience with them beforehand. It is then Newt realized she cannot win this fight. Not by herself... =ᚢᛁᛐᛍᚼᛂᛌ ᚮᚠ ᛘᛁᛑᚵᛆᚱᛑ= Not wanting Lotte to give up, Gaoth thinks hard for the way to help the young Finnish. Examining her broken Valkyrie Blade, the wind faery deduces that it can only be restored with advanced Mending Magic spells. Luckily, she remembers one of such spells as Aisling used it to restore their damaged Zephyr Athame after the fight against the Spawn of Crom Cruach back then. But a restored Valkyrie Blade may not enough for Lotte to turn the tide of their fight against the demon, nor even with aid of the Athame's magic. And then it hit her; the Spawn of Crom Cruach is vulnerable to Holy Magic Newt uses against it. She also used the same magic to create energy barrier that shields them from the demon. Thus, it gives the wind faery an idea. "Lotte, how much alchemy training have you had?", she suddenly asked. "I know its basics at very least. I transmuted a lead block into bronze replica of my lantern once", Lotte replied. "Why are you asking?" "We're going to re-forge that broken blade of yours with Zephyr Athame and infuse it with Holy Magic which makes up this energy field at the same time", the wind faery explained. "Master Thorsen taught me and Aisling an alchemical formula which allow us to fuse matter from different magical objects together into a new item which inherits its components' qualities and powers. Said formula is of course, requires a large amount of power to make it work and depending on utilized energy source, the resulting item will also gain properties of the energy in question as well. It's very complicated, but not a great issue as long as you know basics of alchemy." "A complex alchemy formula?! T-they haven't taught us that part yet!", Lotte argued nervously. "Which is why I will guide you", Gaoth reassured before said, "As the matter of fact, you have same eyes as hers, Lotte. You may not Annabel Crème, but you do have her spirit, just like my Mistress did." She then presents Zephyr Athame to the Finnish. "Which is why the power of this Athame is yours to take, though it seems you're not going to claim it in the way we expected." "Why me? I never asked for this", Lotte said. "Mistress Aisling didn't ask for being able to see me either, let alone using magic", Gaoth points out. "Ever since Mistress learned about her gift, she couldn't help but wonder why she was born with it. That was until Master Thorsen showed up and told her that she had her magic for a reason." "A reason?", Lotte wondered. "Yes. Everyone has their gifts for a reason, but it took a while for Mistress to find hers because she initially lacked faith in herself and her powers", Gaoth nodded as they watch the fight between White Valkyrie and the Spawn of Crom Cruach. "Throughout our travels, we've heard tales about an order of witch-warriors who fight to protect their fellow witches and innocents alike throughout Midgard. Up until now, I always thought of those so-called Valkyries as mere fairy tales. The fact that you just have become one of them, and me going to relinquish our Athame to you right now, it might just be your destiny." The wind faery then looks up on Lotte and reassured, "As your mentor said, just be yourself and you'll find your reason to fight along the way." Reflecting on what Gaoth just said to her, Lotte realizes the truth in the wind faery's words. Not only Aisling revealed to had doubts in her abilities as much as her now in the past, the fact that Geirskogul Armor chose her was not a mere coincidence, which is true to Newt's statement earlier: Category:Fan Fictions Category:Series Category:Witches of Midgard-verse